Music to Lift Your Spirit
When darkness feels heavy, music reminds us that the light always returns.
A friend of mine has faced some significant challenges in life. In spite of this, she is always looking for the bright side. When I ask her for a song prompt, she always asks me to write a happy song; something to bring us all hope.
My mother has also faced some significant challenges in life. Sometimes she finds herself caught up in pain and fear, but she is always looking for the bright side, too. When we sing together, mom’s worries disappear, and for a while there is only joy (with perhaps just a hint of cursing in some of the takes when one of us makes a mistake and we have to start the recording again…)
Rise and Shine is dedicated to the women in my life who believe in the possibility that each new day can hold something beautiful in the midst of the chaos of life.
Woodshedded with Katherine Wheatley at Women’s Music Weekend in the fall of 2024, this singalong song reminds us that while the darkness does come, the sun rises each day and birdsong fills the air. The lively strumming pattern Katherine taught me makes the chorus ring with the reminder that love is our superpower.
Produced by Jim Bryson at Fixed Hinge Recording, the studio version is rich with layers that will make you want to sing with us. When I play it live, I imagine I can channel Katherine’s energy and the relationship she has with the guitar that makes it seem like an extension of her body. While I may never achieve what she’s worked a lifetime for, I trust her guidance is sending me in the right direction.
Rise and Shine is available on Bandcamp today, in celebration of my birthday!
